


Those We Love and Those Who Are Left

by the_sinnamon_roll_writes



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Angst, it's okay I guess, just a short sad fanfic, this is my first fanfic I ever wrote
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 13:03:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15631224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_sinnamon_roll_writes/pseuds/the_sinnamon_roll_writes
Summary: A short one-shot in which some of the Nordics mourn the loss of another.





	Those We Love and Those Who Are Left

Berwald and Mathias were hesitant to walk through the front door. After nearly five minutes of knocking, however, the pair was beginning to worry about the person inside. Apprehensively, the Dane reached for the handle, twisting and finding it unlocked. The inside of the house was dark, and the room was littered with what seemed to be shattered glass and broken furniture. The air was stale, as though the doors and windows had been shut for days.

“Tino?” Berwald called softly, “Tino, it’s Mathias and me. Where are you?”

There was no answer. Mathias began anxiously pacing from room to room, searching for some sign of life in the dismal shell of what used to be a warm and inviting home. Berwald trailed behind him, pausing occasionally to search a room more thoroughly.

“Come on Tino, we just want to know that you’re okay-”

“Mathias, of course he’s not okay,” hissed Berwald. “Use your head for once. How would you feel?”

Rocking on his heels, eyebrows knitted tightly, Mathias nodded and resumed his systematic search, walking through the house, checking behind each door he passed without bothering to close them behind him. Finally reaching the bedroom, he jerked the door open almost desperately. He let out a sigh of relief as he registered a human figure on the bed.

“Berwald!” Mathias called excitedly, “Berwald, I found him! Come on he’s… He's…” The man trailed off as he took in Tino’s appearance. He was sitting in the bed, back against the headboard, knees drawn up to his chest. He hadn’t reacted when Mathias burst through the door, only continuing to stare blankly at the wall ahead of him. His face had taken on a translucent quality, and there were dark circles beneath his bloodshot eyes. His normally sturdy form looked frail, and he seemed to have lost a great deal of weight.

Slowly, Mathias made his way to the edge of the bed as though he were approaching a wild animal. As Berwald’s feet pounded up the stairs, Mathias sat down on the edge of the bed. He hadn’t actually thought through what he would do once Tino was found. He had reached out awkwardly to place his hand on Tino’s shoulder just as Berwald slid into the room. His eyes widened as he surveyed Tino’s sunken face. He walked over and took a place next to Mathias on the bed.

“C'mon Tino. You gotta get up and come eat something.” Berwald’s voice was deep and firm, but Tino took no notice. Mathias hesitated then placed his hand between Tino’s shoulder blades and gently pushed him forward. When he didn’t resist, Mathias hooked his arm beneath his right armpit and pulled him off the bed into a standing position. Tino swayed momentarily, and Berwald stood up, wrapped his hands around Tino’s other arm and together he and Mathias hauled the lethargic man down to the dining room. Berwald sat him down at the table, and Mathias made his way to the kitchen, fumbling around and making all sorts of noise as he searched for something to make for Tino.

Berwald tried to make small talk with Tino, but each awkward attempt he made was ignored. Finally he settled for silence, glancing desperately at the kitchen every few seconds. After what seemed like forever, Mathias returned holding a bowl and spoon and placed it in front of Tino.

“Eat.”

Tino gave no indication that he heard the command.

“Hey, it’s your favorite, Cheerios with a crapload of sugar,” Mathias implored. “You gotta eat something.”

When Tino failed to react to this as well, Berwald slammed his hand down on the table, hard enough to rattle the bowl and slosh milk over the side. “Damn it Tino, we know you’re hurting. We are too. But Lukas would kill us if we didn’t take care of you. Now eat your damn Cheerios, or Mathias and I will make you eat them.”

Between the violent bang on the table and the harsh words being thrown at him, Tino finally blinked, and seemed to return to the scene. Opening his mouth, he croaked out, “I’m not hungry.”

Mathias actually laughed, a harsh, bitter sound. “Bullshit you aren’t. How long has it been since you’ve eaten? Huh? Four days? A week? Have you seen yourself in a mirror lately? Your clothes barely stay on.” As he scolded, Mathias grabbed the Finn’s hand and forced him to pick up the spoon, dipping it into the cereal and guiding it toward his mouth. Tino accepted it with a scowl, then jerked his hand away and continued feeding himself, refusing to meet either of the other men’s eyes.

A minute passed, then two, then three. Silence reigned besides the occasional clicking of spoon on bowl. Berwald stared fixedly at Tino, making sure he ate every bite, and Mathias sat fidgeting with his hands anxiously, clearly uncomfortable with the quiet. Eventually he couldn’t stand it anymore. “You didn’t go to the funeral.” Mathias could have kicked himself for blurting that out so suddenly. Tino froze at the accusation, then focused his eyes on Mathias’s face.

“I want you both to leave. Get out of our- my house.” Tino said. His voice was hardly above a whisper, yet it held enough venom that even Berwald felt himself cringe. However, the two stood firm.

“Tino, you haven’t been the same for the past four months. I know when Lukas went missing… I mean, I don’t know what it’s like to lose a fiancé, but I can imagine how terrifying it must have been-” Mathias stuttered, trying to find the right words to say before he was cut off.

“YOU CAN IMAGINE?! You don’t know anything! Either of you!” Tino screamed, jumping up so rapidly he knocked his chair over behind him. “You both still have each other! I have nothing. Nothing! I lost my world the day Lukas went missing. And as if that weren’t bad enough, I lost all hope of getting it back after they found his body in that god forsaken river! Neither of you know! Neither of you have any idea!” As he shouted he grew more and more hysterical, madly running his fingers through his hair and pacing the floor, kicking anything that came in his path. Mathias and Berwald could only watch wide-eyed as the man went on with his rampage. “Do you know what the worst part is?” Tino asked, stopping it his tracks and turning to look at the pair. When both shook their heads no, Tino spoke again. “The worst part is not knowing what his last moments were like. I don’t know if he had time to be scared. Whoever the hell it was that took him could have kept him alive for months. What if they tortured him? What if he was waiting for me? God what- what if-” Tino choked off, tears sliding down his face. He turned to walk away from his friends, but he had gotten two steps before he heard chairs scraping and feet striding toward him, and felt himself being pulled into Mathias’s chest. His back was to the Dane, but he could still tell that Mathias was crying as well. The taller man pressed his forehead down to Tino’s head, tears dripping into his soft blond hair. Berwald stood up and walked over to join them, wrapping a comforting arm around Mathias’s waist and placing his hand on Tino’s shoulder. The trio remained like that, all trying to take solace in the touch of each other, for what could have been hours.

Finally pulling away, Tino turned to face the two. “How… How’s Emil?” He was almost scared to hear the answer. He knew it was cowardly, but he couldn’t bring himself to face the boy. Although he loved Emil, some irrational part of him worried that the Icelander would somehow blame him.

It was Mathias who answered. “Emil is fine. Sadik’s been looking after him whenever I can’t. He misses you though.”

Tino looked down, ashamed. When he had first realized Lukas was missing, he had flown into a panic, trying to make everyone and everyone search far and wide. He and Emil grew very close during that time, as two of the people who cared most for Lukas. After he had started losing hope, he began to distance himself from the world, unintentionally at first, and then deliberately as he found he no longer had the desire to hear others lament his loss. “I guess I should try to talk to him, huh?” Tino muttered.

“I bet he’d appreciate that,“ Berwald rumbled. “He’s worried about you.”

“Tino, I think you should come stay with us. It’s not healthy for you to stay in this house all alone in the dark. Berwald and I are both worried… Well, we’re worried you’re going to do something stupid.” Mathias stated. “You haven’t… thought about… doing… anything?” His question was uncertain, as though he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer. When Tino didn’t reply, his eyes filled with tears again. “Tino. Tino, promise us you won’t. Promise!”

Tino simply walked to his living room, sitting on the couch and staring at his hands on his lap. Berwald and Mathias followed closely behind. The two paused briefly, sharing a concerned glance. Berwald took a deep breath, then sat on his knees in front of Tino, taking his small hands in his own larger ones. “Tino. Promise us.”

“I can’t.” Tino’s voice cracked and he closed his eyes tightly.

“Alright.” Berwald’s voice was steady despite the red of his eyes and pallor of his cheeks. “Then you’re gonna come with us. And we’ll make sure that you stay safe. And that we all get through this.”


End file.
